Basketball Beats Elms in OT, 74-72

CHICOPEE, Mass. – Claire Consonni (Bristol, Conn.) scored the go-ahead basket to break a 72-all tie with 1:33 to play in overtime as the University of Saint Joseph basketball team won an exciting 74-72 non-conference game Friday over Elms College at Picknelly Arena.

St. Joseph, playing for the first time since Dec. 7, improved to 6-2 overall. Elms dropped to 2-7.

Devon Diliberto (Waterbury, Conn.) scored a game-high 20 points for St. Joseph, including three three-pointers and she also added eight rebounds. Heather Framski (Prospect, Conn.) had 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Blue Jays.

In a game that saw at total of 12 tie scores and 11 lead changes, the sides battled to a 38-38 tie at halftime and a 68-68 stalemate at the end of regulation. Jenna Oyler (Metuchen, N.J.) made a three-pointer for Elms with 9 seconds left in regulation to force overtime.

Thirty seconds into overtime, USJ's Shauna Sullivan (Rocky Hill, Conn.) connected for a jumper to give the Blue Jays a 70-68 lead. Sullivan had eight points and a career-high 13 rebounds. Diliberto later scored an overtime bucket, giving St. Joseph another two-point lead, but both times, Elms tied the score, which set the stage for Consonni's eventual game-winner.

Consonni had nine points and eight rebounds for St. Joseph and Mary Hyde (Derby, Conn.) added seven points and eight rebounds. St. Joseph outrebounded Elms, 60-50 and the Blue Jays took 92 field goal attempts (29 made; 31.5 percent). Danisha Parks (Fall River, Mass.) had 18 points and 16 rebounds for Elms and Ellen Donohue (Southington, Conn.) scored 12 for the Blazers.

The game was tightly contested throughout with the Blue Jays notching their largest lead of five points with 5:16 to play in the first half, while Elms had its largest lead of six, 6:49 into the game. Neither team led by more than four after halftime.

St. Joseph hosts Eastern Conn., Thursday, Jan. 10 at 6 p.m.